Allowance Available for CounsellingDid you know there is a counselling subsidy available through Work and Income? If you, your partner or the children in your care require counselling, you can apply to get financial assistance as part of a Disability Allowance. This...
2021 Excellence in Foster Care Awards At Caring Families Aotearoa, we have the privilege of working with and supporting so many amazing caregivers who go above and beyond what is expected of them for the tamariki and rangatahi in their care. This July 16 caregivers...
Celebrating Matariki in Aotearoa / New ZealandFrom the end of June to mid-July this year in Aotearoa / New Zealand we celebrated Matariki. Matariki is a star cluster in the sky and its arrival has a wonderful meaning; it is a time to spend with whānau (family) and...
Kia ora Koutou, This month, in 1987, the Māori Language Act came into force making Te Reo Māori an official language of New Zealand. In 1985, the Waitangi Tribunal heard the Te Reo Māori claim. This asserted that Te Reo was a taonga (treasure), that the Government was...
Kia ora everyone, For those of you who haven't heard yet, Sarah your Regional Coordinator, has moved on to another role. We thank Sarah for the great job she did supporting caregivers and wish her well on her new adventure. Going forward, if you need support,...
Kia ora, I needed a break from work after facilitating events and trainings through June. I also experienced the loss of a close family member and friend over the last few months, and welcomed a new mokopuna into te Ao Marama (the world). Life’s like this sometimes,...
Tena Koutou Katoa, A new term ahead and exciting times for Caring Families Aotearoa! You may have heard we have brand new trainings being delivered over the next year! I want to especially highlight the Ako Ngātahi series of on-line trainings that are available, as we...
Kia ora koutou, As usual, the holidays have gone by very quickly and Term 3 is here. I hope everyone had a restful holiday and is looking forward to what this term has to offer. As I mentioned in my previous Snippet, please keep warm and stay healthy. We know there...
Kia ora everyone, I hope everyone enjoyed the school holidays last month. These days, children’s lives are so busy, so it’s nice for them to get some wind-down time as well. It has been very wet around the Wellington region – perfect weather for ducks but not much...
Kia ora koutou, As I pen this month's newsletter, it is the first day of term 3. It is teeming down with rain into grounds that are already sodden. These holidays have sent our region into another difficult time. Westport in particular, but also Marlborough and the...
Kia ora everyone, Gosh, what a year we have had. Have you been watching the Tokyo Olympics? I’ve managed to catch some of the events New Zealanders are in. It has been interesting watching how it has been operating this time due to COVID-19. It has certainly been a...
Kia ora everyone, I had the pleasure of being part of the Excellence in Foster Care Awards a couple of weeks ago. Congratulations to Shirley Afoa from Auckland. What a wonderful role model to her community and all the tamariki / children that have been in her care. It...
Kia ora to you all, As another month rolls on, I hope everyone is keeping warm, happy, well, and you all survived another school holiday time. Over the last few days, I have been reflecting on my time with Caring Families Aotearoa so far, and again want to acknowledge...
Fantastic Results from our Foundations for Attachment ProgrammeOver the past four years, we have had the privilege of delivering Kim Golding’s Foundations for Attachment training to over 230 caregivers in Aotearoa / New Zealand. This training gives a deeper insight...
Thank You to our VolunteersCaring Families Aotearoa, like many other not-for-profit organisations, wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the amazing work of so many volunteers. Last week (20-27 June), we celebrated with these dedicated people during volunteer...
Care Sector TrainingWe are excited to finally announce changes to the training and learning opportunities we will be delivering. From next term, we will no longer be delivering the National Caregiver Training Programme developed by Oranga Tamariki. Instead, Caring...
Registrations are now open! Don't miss out on your chance to attend New Zealand's only Conference for care families and whānau who open their homes and hearts to tamariki in need of care and protection. This year's conference is being held at the Lower Hutt Event...
Kia ora Koutou, Matariki has arrived and school holidays are almost upon us! We recently had training in Gisborne on “Keeping Memories”. It was just a small group, but it was so inspiring to hear people share their stories. There are some absolutely amazing caregivers...
Tena Koutou Katoa, I have been out and about the region with training and it’s been fantastic to catch up with regular attendees and meet caregivers attending their first trainings in Whanganui, Stratford, and New Plymouth. I have heard some beautiful examples of...
Kia ora koutou, We are into July and the school holidays are fast looming! Now is the time to start planning for those winter activities and the “Plan Bs” for those wet inside days. If any of you have some great ideas to share with others, please feel free to post...